A Long Island mall swapped Santa’s sleigh for something resembling a spaceship and nixed the Christmas tree because it didn’t want to “offend” anyone, irate shoppers told The Post.
The Roosevelt Field Mall ditched its traditional holiday village and put Ol’ Saint Nick inside a winter-themed “glacier” instead. But some say the white and blue display looks more like something out of “Star Trek” than “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
“Santa comes along with a decorated tree; he doesn’t come with a spaceship,” Maria Lovdahl fumed.
The Williston Park mother of two was shopping Thursday night when she spotted the apparently futuristic Santa photo kiosk.
“Me and my husband looked at each other and said, ‘What is that?’ ” Lovdahl recalled. “They said it was because people were offended by the traditional Christmas display, that they had gotten comments in prior years.”
After a lifetime of shopping at Roosevelt Field and bringing her kids there, Lovdahl said, “I won’t be shopping there this year.”
Betty Borrero, 32, heard so much about the new display she came to see it for herself.
“I bring my child, I want to see the big tree in the background. This is blank,” she said, noting she’ll take her kid to Macy’s for this year’s holiday pictures.
Mall management, which charges anywhere from $24.99 to $59.99 for pictures with Santa, confirmed the change was made to avoid offending people, said Caren Toal, who was with Lovdahl.
“The people who answered the phone at the mall actually said, in order not to offend anyone, they were simplifying the Christmas display,” said Toal, who is also now boycotting the mall.
The holiday hullabaloo sparked an uproar on Facebook and Twitter Saturday. Meanwhile, a Change.org petition garnered 16,000 signatures in protest of a similar shift in decor at a North Carolina mall owned by Simon Properties, which also operates Roosevelt Field.
Like a herd of spooked reindeer, mall management on Saturday quickly retreated from the politically-correct display.
“Key elements are still being added to the Glacier experience at Roosevelt Field over the coming week — and after hearing early customer feedback, one of those elements will be a traditional Christmas tree alongside the Glacier experience,” the mall said.
By Saturday afternoon, workers claimed a large Christmas tree would be up in about two or three weeks, and three small trees with white lights — but no decorations — were standing next to Santa.
There were no Christmas wreaths or other typical holiday decor, and Santa’s helpers weren’t elves, but regular folks with red ties covered in white snowflakes. While the sound of ringing bells was in the air, no traditional carols played.
Shopper Cathy Corbett wasn’t impressed, comparing Santa’s workshop to “George Jetson’s pad.”
Additional reporting by Taylor Vecsey